LabWrench Blog

The LabX Media Group is proud to support programs to raise awareness and find a cure for breast cancer. We will be making a donation on behalf of all our employees and invite you to learn more about breast cancer, how to get involved, or to

Our team continues the journey of building LabWrench as the number one go-to website for anyone working with lab equipment! This week we have added a brand new main category; Supplies and Consumables! Our new Supplies and Consumables category can be...

As promised, our LabWrench team has been working hard on some changes around the site! First one down.... Product page clean up! If you haven't already noticed, we have made some pretty awesome changes to our product pages. Not only are they

Happy Friday LabWrench!!! We are off to a great start for 2013. Our LabWrench team has been doing lots of brainstorming for this coming year and we can't wait to roll out some of our new changes! You may have already noticed that we no longer

Aspiring writers visit Hartford, political buffs vacation in Ottawa and every scientist knows West Orange. At least you should. Here is an overview of Thomas Edison’s lab and four other laboratories that changed or are changing history.

Join 5 In February! Join At Least Five “Communities” on Labwrench for a Chance to Win an iPod!!!! During the month of February, join at least 5 communities on LabWrench for a chance to win an iPod!! STEP 1 - Login or

Most metal casing conversations on the LabWrench forums focus on instruments with microprocessors, but it is still important to our day-to-day use of metal in the lab. This is an overview of metal as a lab material. It looks at the pros and cons and...

Take a moment to consider how often glass moves in and out of our lives each day, from the alarm clock in the morning to warm milk before bed. And we’re not alone. People around the globe rely on glass, and have for generations, but has anyone

Hello LabWrench users. Today I would like to take this opportunity to introduce DeltaNu as LabWrench's newest advertiser. DeltaNu is a company that has proven to be a global leader in Raman spectroscopy and microscopy instrumentation

Hope you're having a good week so far. Thinking About Going Paperless? Has your lab been on the fence about going paperless? There are many advantages and opportunities in converting your lab from a traditional, paper-based environment to

Happy Friday LabWrench users, I hope you have all had a productive week. In today's blog, we will be having a look at GC Systems. If you have ever worked in a laboratory, chances are that you are familiar with the many uses of Gas

New LabWrench Category We have been pretty busy this week on LabWrench with the addition of many new instruments as well as a new category; Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM). AFM is a high-resolution type of microscopy that is best used for

Used to help liquids flow through autoanalyzer tubing easier and to help facilitate mixing, surfactant is a necessity for flow analyzers. It has been used for many years since autoanalyzers were constructed and comes in many

Happy Friday Everyone! I would like to end the week by introducing you to our newest sponsor: New Era Pumps Systems Inc. Covering a wide variety of applications, New Era's goal is to provide researchers around the globe with the smartest and

From industrial work and basic research to analytical processes such as HPLC, Lab Ovens appear in a wide variety of settings. Even though there have been many changes to lab ovens in the last decade or so, the large majority of

Here on LabWrench, our primary goal is to get you all the resources you need to spend less time looking for answers to your equipment problems and more time actually performing experiments. Are you one of the many scientists using a GC system

If you're working in any of the Life Sciences, you will probably agree that pipettes are the instruments that are the most frequently used in the lab. A recent survey by Lab Manager Magazine revealed that 26% of their readers spend over

LabWrench Novelties We've had a little over 1000 new 'likes' on our Facebook Fan Page so far this month so I just wanted to take this opportunity to welcome our new followers. If you are one of those followers and haven't

Are you an expert? Are you an expert in your field or with a particular type of product? If you are then keep reading, as this applies to YOU. With so many users from across the world looking for assistance with lab equipment problems,

You don't need to be an expert to know that accidents are one of those inevitable occurences in a laboratory setting (I know that I've had my share of mishaps in the lab). Whether your new lab tech accidentally spilled some HCL on the

Whether you're preparing genomic samples for next gen sequencing, quantifying DNA samples, or performing a microarray analysis, it is important for life science researchers to be able to detect the biological and chemical changes that occur in

Shimadzu Lab Balances & Scales Any scientist or would-be scientists know that when it comes to lab balances, it’s all about precision and accuracy. Looking to buy a new one? Here are the types of questions that you should be asking

With so many different applications covering many different fields, MS is one of the most useful instruments in the lab. By ionizing chemical compounds and breaking them down, MS can provide scientists with the weight and structural

Happy Friday everyone! In today's blog, we will be a continuing to introduce our new consumables categories added to LabWrench. Earlier this week, in Wednesday's blog, we introduced the new 'Centrifuge Tubes' and '

Everyone already knows that LabWrench is the go-to website for professionals working with laboratory equipment. With this in mind, we have decided to take things a step further and introduce some consumables categories in an effort to better

Happy Friday everyone! Product entry has been relatively busy again this week on LabWrench with a little over 30 new instruments added in the system spanning many different categories (with a small focus on Lab Glassware Washers and consumables)

Considering that water is likely the most utilized reagent in a laboratory setting, it isn't suprising that high-quality water should be a priority in every lab. As with many other laboratory instruments, water purification systems have

Centrifuges are one of the most common and important instruments that you will find in a modern day research and clinical laboratory. As such, it is imperative that lab professionals find a centrifuge model with the features that will help

We at LabWrench would like to take this opportunity to welcome RDM Industrial Products Inc. as one of our newest advertisers. Established in 1977, RDM Industrial Products manufactures and distributes industrial and laboratory furniture to a

LabWrench would like to welcome Mystaire Misonix as one of its newest advertisers. Established in 1959, Mystaire Misonix is one the leaders in designing and manufacturing environmental safety and air pollution control products as well as

This week we would like to introduce MYCO Instrumentation Inc. as one of LabWrench's newest advertisers. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, MYCO Instrumentation is one of the most trusted leaders in

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Waters Corporation as one of Labwrench’s new advertisers. Waters Corporation is a publicly traded company which designs, manufactures, sells, and services analytical technologies which

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, or AAS, is an analytical technique used for determining the concentration of a metallic element within a particular sample. In general, this technique works by measuring the amount of ultraviolent light that is

Whether you are thawing, heating, or stabilizing samples, it is important that you choose a lab bath that meets your needs. In general, water baths are used for temperature related applications such as heating samples that can't be heated

Early on in the classrooms, microscopes are often the first laboratory instrument that students are introduced to (and with good reason). The constant development and improvement of microscopy instruments revolutionized biology entirely and

Product entry has been relatively steady so far this week on LabWrench with a focus on expanding the new consumable and apps categories. Click the links below to get more information on the new added products! Apps:

Looking for resources on lab equipment that is readily available at your fingertips? Looking for a tool that can help you make calculations in the field? You can find the app for that through LabWrench’s new ‘Apps’

Here on the ‘Wrench’, our primary focus is providing lab professionals with all the resources necessary in order to maximize efficiency and results in the lab. LabWrench is already established as the go-to website for anyone

UV-VIS spectroscopy is an analytical technique that is widely used in all types of laboratories. By measuring the absorbance of molecules within the ultraviolet and visible light spectrum (UV-VIS), the UV-VIS spectrophotometer has been proven

Product entry has been relatively steady so far this week on LabWrench with a small focus on FT-IR Spectrophotometers among other products coming from a variety of companies and categories. Feel free to view the newly added products by

With the emergence of websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, it is easy to see how social networking can be used as an efficient platform in sharing information and connecting with colleagues with similar interests and goals.

Agilent Technologies - 7000A Mass Spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is widely used in many fields; including clinical research, environmental analysis and forensic analysis. This technique is applied by ionizing chemical

It is important to select lab furniture that fills specific requirements for your lab including features such as shelves, storage, gas/electricity supplies, and clean areas. The key to a well set up lab is flexibility, functionality and most

One of the most important aspects in a lab is the safety of personnel from harmful pathogens. This is the primary role of a Biological Safety Cabinet which uses particulate filters to remove bacteria and viruses from the air. It is highly important

LabWrench would like to welcome Pace Analytical as a new advertiser. Pace Analytical has been offering lab solutions for testing, staffing and equipment for over 30 years and has developed a reliable and service orientated reputation over the years....

Microplate readers are used for a variety of applications including: research, pharmaceutics and biotechnology industries and drug discovery. The microplate reader industry is evolving towards greater functionality, flexibility, throughput, and

Searching for a piece of lab equipment can be a daunting task, especially with the large amount of products on the market today. LabWrench makes the process easier for you with our ‘Compare’ feature. With almost 12,000 pieces of

If you are like most people working in a laboratory, you will know all of the issues that can arise with equipment faults. Most of the time you will get an unknown error message or the system displays a physical fault when you are part way through

When asked what instrument has the most daily use in the lab, the majority will have the same answer: Pipettes. It is therefore crucial to ensure pipetting accuracy by choosing pipettes from companies that have a proven record of reliability.

Lab freezers are integral in preserving samples within the correct environment as many samples are vulnerable to variations in temperature. For example, proteins must be contained within certain temperature limits to prevent denaturing. Other

BINDER is the largest simulation chamber specialist in scientific and industrial laboratories worldwide. With a focus on the perfect simulation of biological, chemical and physical environment for a variety of industries, BINDER considers superior

Flow cytometry has been around since the late 1970s and is still a growing and developing field used for analysis and sorting of individual particles. In the past few years there has been an increase in immunophenotyping cells undergoing development...

The chemistry analyzer is one of the most diverse laboratory tools used in a wide variety of science applications. In a clinical setting the device is used for analyzing bodily fluids for lipid, protein, carbohydrate and enzyme activity that can

Daily wear and tear of your lab equipment can cause inaccurate results and safety issues. It is therefore important to keep up to date with maintenance and repair to ensure optimal operational performance. There is much debate on whether using the

Product entry this past week has been relatively steady with 13 new products added to the site. Products added were from a variety of companies over different categories and I’ve included a list below. Click on the links to view the product

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome a new advertiser to LabWrench. Erlab has been the worldwide specialist in ductless filtering fume hoods for over 40 years. With research and development locations in the US, France and China and a

Fume hoods allow scientists to work safely with potentially hazardous chemicals and are a primary safety method in preventing exposure to harmful fumes. Fume hoods rely on linear or vortex air flow to divert harmful gases from compounds. These gases...

GenTech Scientific originally began as a GC/MS service company in 1995 and quickly obtained their quality service status within the Mass Spectrometry community. Since then the company has moved into the refurbishment of analytical equipment

The new Communities on LabWrench have been running for a couple of months now and so far we have noticed some great numbers in relation to newly benched communities. Total new communities joined since the launch in January is 576 so it’s great...

The technique of air sampling is used when analyzing contaminants in a particular volume of air. A pump passes air through a filter medium (varies according to solid or gas contaminants) and the volume of remaining air is measured against the amount...

This month we welcome Spectra Services as a new advertiser to LabWrench. Spectra is a distributer of microscopy products including related equipment and is dedicated to satisfying the unique imaging requirements and needs of their customers

In the world of Lab Balances it’s all about precision and accuracy. With two basic balance types: Analytical and Top Loaders, plus some less common types: Microbalances, Precision, and Ultra-Microbalances, it’s no wonder purchasing a Lab

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a lab shaker: will it be used to mix chemicals? Are you going to grow cell cultures? Do you need temperature control? What about incubated or refrigerated? Lab shaker manufacturers are constantly

Accuracy, durability, and consistent performance are top priorities when it comes to your lab equipment and ensuring you get efficient results. You may have a piece of equipment that you have used and loved for many years and it could be starting to...

The product entry focus for this week has been on UV-Vis Spectrophotometers with 11 new products added, and Microplate Readers with 9 new products added so far. These products come from a variety of manufacturers including; Biochrom, Titertek

HPLC systems seem to be getting better with age. Recently, within the last 10 years there has been a big focus on innovation and improvement of these commonly used instruments within modern laboratories. This focus has lead to the development of the...

Electrophoresis is a biotechnology technique used to separate and analyze charged molecules within an electric field. There are various types of gels used depending on the required results. Two commonly used gels are Agarose (sugar polymer derived

The My Bench Communities are here! When browsing LabWrench you will come across these symbols ( , , ) and the option to "bench" products, categories, and even manufacturers. This will allow you to tailor your LabWrench profile to your

32 new products were added to LabWrench this week with a focus again on Centrifuges, as well as Gas Generators, and Titrators. Please click on the links below to view recently added products. Centrifuges LW Scientific - Portafuge and C5 MSE -

Liquid handling systems play a crucial role within the lab, especially where a large amount of sample analysis is required on a daily basis. They help reduce the amount of time it takes to get the results you need. To keep up with the demands of

The major focus for product entry this week has been the centrifuge category with 46 new products entered! Being such a big category, it is not uncommon to see a large amount of new products on the market. See below for a breakdown of new and old

Chromatography is such a broad category and is a process that is used by Lab Scientists and Technicians around the world. Every day there are new discoveries being made using this procedure, and manufacturers are coming out with new and improved

This week we added a new equipment category, Gas Generators. This can be found under the main Analytical category. We found that Gas Generators are used in a wide variety of laboratory applications and therefore felt that it needed a place on

Vacuum pumps are used for a wide variety of applications including evaporation, distillation and filtration to name a few. It is important to choose a vacuum pump that matches your specific lab application and it is for this reason that vacuum pumps...

Spectrophotometers are an important instrument to help determine how much light is absorbed by a sample. There are a wide range of sub-categories this instrument falls under depending on the type of experiment. These include; Atomic Absorption,

As promised, the new My Bench Communities have been launched today. Whether you’re a new or existing user of My Bench, make sure you have a look at the new layout and features we are now offering. With the possibility to now bench not only

Last week’s product entry focus has been on lab baths and chillers and we completed 12 new products entries into that category. The following is a summary, click on the links to view each individual product and click on the manufacturers

When you walk into most modern laboratories you will be pretty certain to find at least one staple piece of equipment every time, the centrifuge. This instrument has been used for many years in the lab and is in fact one of the earliest pieces of

It’s not something that immediately springs to mind on a day to day basis, but you may be setting up a new lab and need to furnish it, or you might find a piece of existing furniture needs to be replaced. Working in a lab you will know already

It is a busy time of year for everyone with the holidays coming up and the beginning of a new year. One thing you may want to do is ensure your lab is in good working order and organized. A “To Do” list is always a good idea to ensure

As much as you may be opposed to the idea of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in your lab, all forms of social media have shown proven success in getting your communication out there when it comes to operating your business. Long gone are the days

It’s snowing on LabWrench! This year’s festive season brings many interesting new features to LabWrench and we know all of our users will be as excited as us to see how the changes will improve the site. Other than the winter themed

Everybody who works in a lab knows the importance of following correct safety procedures. If there is any carelessness with safety precautions, major accidents can occur. With so many other things going on within your lab it is sometimes easy to

Maintaining a clean lab environment, including all glassware is imperative to achieve optimal results or preserve certain chemical solutions. With lab glassware coming in all shapes and sizes, including beakers, burettes, graduated cylinders, and

It is common to assume Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) only occurs to people working in computer operations. However it also greatly affects laboratory staff when day to day duties include repetitive and precise movements of the hands and arms,

To help maintain the durability and a consistent performance of your lab equipment timely maintenance and repair is required. Wear and tear from frequent use can cause operational inconsistency; malfunctioning equipment is hazardous and can produce

Anyone starting a new lab on their own is going to be purchasing expensive lab equipment and in order to get the precise results needed quality equipment is a must. With dollars and budgets being minimal a researcher may be limited to what they can

Do you have time for your lab equipment to be down? Not many do and that’s where LabWrench comes in. A resource for lab professionals to connect with each other to ask equipment related questions, provide answers, discuss options, fix those

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About the Author

Kylie Sauve

LabWrench

Kylie is our Data Manager for LabWrench, working for LabX Media Group since September 2010. Her role involves making sure LabWrench stays maintained as well as keeping it up to date. Her role also includes researching lab equipment, maintaining social media, and assisting users in finding answers to their everyday lab related issues.